ATLANTA -

After a little more than seven months, Cox Automotive has a new chief sales officer.

According to a news release distributed on Tuesday, Cox Automotive promoted Tim McKinley from his position as senior vice president of sales for Manheim to chief sales officer for Cox Automotive, reporting to president Sandy Schwartz.

Cox Automotive said McKinley replaces Sid Nair, who is returning to Texas for a new opportunity. Nair was hired as chief sales officer on Nov. 27.

As chief sales officer, McKinley will oversee the entire Cox Automotive sales operation and marketing in the U.S., comprising nearly 2,500 team members serving clients across the country. He will continue the work of creating a unified Cox Automotive sales team and streamlining sales operations across the company to best serve clients and drive growth.

With 30-plus years of leadership experience, Cox Automotive described McKinley as a “visionary leader with robust sales and industry expertise, as well as proven results leading major transformational initiatives in large organizations.”

In addition, the company added, “McKinley’s passion for developing and engaging employees at all levels will assist him as he implements new ways to sell across brands, expands opportunities with clients and makes doing business easier across Cox Automotive.”

Since 2014, McKinley has led the sales organization at Manheim, contributing to revenue growth of $1 billion during a time of tremendous transformation for the company.

“Tim is an inspiring leader who is deeply committed to building a strong team that’s well-equipped to provide outstanding service to our clients,” Schwartz said. “He has a consistent track record of success in a variety of key leadership positions across both Cox Automotive and Cox Communications.

“We are focused on delivering a world-class client and team member experience, while expanding our leadership position in the marketplace. Tim is the perfect choice to continue driving this effort forward,” Schwartz continued.

Before joining Manheim, McKinley served as vice president of sales and field operations for Cox Communications commercial services organization in the company’s Eastern U.S. markets.

McKinley also served in a number of leadership roles during his 21 years with Sprint, ultimately leading a team of 3,500 who provided all support services for Sprint Business.

“I am so excited to lead this tremendous team of sales and marketing professionals, and I love working with our clients,” McKinley said.

“Right now, we’re experiencing the most significant evolution our industry has seen in decades, and I truly believe Cox Automotive offers the best end-to-end solutions clients need to manage their business now and into the future,” he went on to say.